The Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (CBR) was established to preserve Europe’s largest areas of beech, fir and spruce primeval forests. It belongs to the ten most valuable nature reserves in Ukraine and is one of the country’s most popular protected areas. Because of its unfragmented landscape and unique biodiversity, CBR is famous in Europe and worldwide.

Since 1993, the reserve has been part of the international network of UNESCO biosphere reserves, and in 2007 its beech primeval forests were included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians” (now “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany”). CBR hosts Europe’s most expansive continuous primeval beech forest that covers more than 10,000 hectares, with some trees of more than 45 meters height. The main features of the reserve are the almost undisturbed mountain ecosystems, which showcase the entire range of natural diversity of the Carpathian region: from lowland ecosystems to subalpine and high-altitude alpine meadows. This range of large intact ecosystems makes the region exceptionally important for nature conservation in Ukraine and all of Europe.

CBR contains the Carpathians’ best-preserved ecosystems, which provide habitats for many rare and endangered plant and animal species. Viable populations of large carnivores (lynx, wolf, and brown bear) are living here, as well as the largest colonies of bats in Ukraine. In addition, the uniqueness of the reserve is also based on important wetland ecosystems, including mountain lakes, mountain waterways and lowland floodplains.

The reserve’s flora is composed of 3,029 plant species (1,359 vascular plants), 183 of which are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and 42 in international lists. Out of the 4,813 animal species living in the reserve (306 vertebrate species), 232 are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and international lists, including 5 narrowly endemic invertebrate species that are only known from the reserve and 23 types of habitats, which are threatened with extinction.

All information was provided by the park administration. For more details please visit http://cbr.nature.org.ua/ukrainian.html